This is an almost straight sided rock shelter in the village of Ilunda. Depicted on the rock panel are animals for example giraffes, kudus, etc. and anthropomorphic figures. Above the giraffe is a complex scene of lines with one of the giraffes lying upside down and probably bleeding. When I first saw the site in 1774, I interpreted the lines as representing a barrage of missiles aimed at the giraffe i.e. a hunting connotation, but as I have pointed out elsewhere, such simplistic interpretations should be discouraged until there is ethnographic evidence in their support. The associated human figures are highly schematised. Two shades of red, a scarlet and a bright red superimposed on the former are used. The vicinity is littered with archaeological artifacts.

Igwe la Mpula-Ilunda

Igwe la Mpula-Ilunda

Ikhanoda

Singida Region / Singida District / Ikhanoda Division

S043517.2 E0345647.0

Site 4

The site is on Ikhanoda hill and facing the plains of Lake Mikuyu. The rock shelter faces north, but it is the eastern side, that is decorated with pictographs. Only one animal is represented. It is executed in a light shade of red employing the thick line open profile style infilled with blotches. Precise identification of the animal is difficult for, as is the case with Mjakhuda 1, the head and the neck of the animal have been deliberately omitted. In an earlier publication (Masao 1979), it was identified as a hyena, but subsequently reflecting on it, the interpretation is found to be rather subjective. The Ikhanoda hill is full of rock shelters suitable for rock painting, but our thorough search of the area revealed only two more sites though not as well preserved as Ikhanoda 1.

Ikhanoda Rock Art

Ikhanoda Rock Art

Ikurungu la Nyakidarama

Singida Region / Iramba District / Kisiriri Division

S040521.5 E0344319.9

Site 5

In the Mpogolo area south east of Kirumi is a rock shelter known as Ikurungu la Nyakidarama, which in the language of the Wanyisanzu people is translated as: Nyakidarama’s shelter. According to legend, Nyakidarama was a very famous man who used the shelter as a sanctuary. It is claimed that the site is still used by the people of the Wanyakirumi clan who inhabit the area. The shelter was once decorated with many paintings executed in three different pigments: a bright ochreous red, a light brown and a thick ashy white. However, due to exfoliation most of the paintings have been so damaged that the subject matter cannot be made out with ease. Still recognised, however, are a giraffe depicted upside down, humans in many stylised forms and other animals too faint to make out. One of the giraffes has a concentric painted over it. While it is conceivable that the anthropomorphic figures are engaged in some activity, the fading has rendered identification rather subjective. It should however be of interest to note that the anthropomorphs are squat and depicted with relatively large heads. They are also considerably squat. One figure is depicted inclined as if in the act of falling down, while others are portrayed with hands akimbo.

The painted area is estimated at 9.4x1.5 sq.m, while the highest painting is 2.45m from ground level. The site is still in use as attested by the presence of pots when it was last visited in June 2003.

Ikurungu la Nyakidarama

Ikurungu la Nyakidarama

Ng’ongo ya Isungi

Singida Region / Singida Rural District / Mgori Location

E36732584 N9473193

Site 6

As the name implies this site and the following four are in another local range of hills different from the Ng’ongo ya Mghumo area. Ng’ongo ya Isungi is one of the hills in the Ngimu area and is about 1.5km east of Ngimu Primary School. On one of the rock shelters are paintings depicting animals in naturalistic styles while the anthropomorphic are schematised. Most of the animals are antelopes, possibly impala. In the vicinity are archaeological lithics scatters of LSA type.